Buckle for a pair of swimming goggles

This invention relates to a buckle adapted to secure a strap of swimming goggles thereto,

U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,526 issued to Ann Huang on Jan. 13, 1998 discloses a pair of swimming goggles comprising a main frame body, a pair of elastic straps wound through a pair of slots respectively defined in both sides of the main frame body, a pair of strap clamping blocks each adapted to converge upper and lower sections of each strap and a pair of buckles by which one of the paired straps is secured to the other of the paired straps.

Each of the buckles is attached to a first end of each strap and each of the buckles has a plurality of strap guiding holes defined by opposite side edges extending in parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction of the strap and a plurality of partitions extending so as to connect the side edges to each other. The rearmost strap guiding hole of the buckle is formed with a slot opening in the longitudinal direction of the strap. In order to bring the second end of a strap into engagement with buckle which is attached to one end of the other strap, a length of the strap is adjusted utilizing two strap guiding holes lying inwardly adjacent the outermost strap guiding hole and then the second end of the strap is inserted through the slot into the outermost strap guiding hole.

However, in the case of the buckles disclosed in the U.S. Patent, there is a concern that the straps might slip off from the outermost strap guiding holes through the respective slots and slacken when the straps are pulled relatively to the respective buckles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a buckle for swimming goggles which is designed so that once a strap is secured to the buckle it can not easily slip off therefrom.

According to this invention, there is provided a buckle for a pair of swimming goggles provided in the form of a frame comprising first and second side edges opposed to each other in a longitudinal direction of straps used by said goggles, first and second ends opposed to each other in a direction orthogonal to said longitudinal direction, and a plurality of partitions arranged between said first and second ends to connect said first and second side edges to each other, said first and second side edges and said first and second ends cooperating with said partitions to define a plurality of strap guiding holes arranged in said longitudinal direction, wherein:

one of said first and second side edges partially defining the first outermost one of said strap guiding holes lying adjacent said first end and the other of said first and second side edges partially defining the second outermost one of said strap guiding holes lying adjacent said second end are formed with slots each communicating with the associated of said first and second outermost strap guiding holes having a opening-width dimensioned in said longitudinal direction to be smaller than a width of said strap.

According to one embodiment of this invention, each of said slots has said opening-width progressively reduced from the exterior toward the interior of said slot.

According to another embodiment of this invention, said plurality of strap guiding holes include additional strap guiding holes arranged between said first and second outermost strap guiding holes in the form of intermediate strap guiding holes each defining an opening smaller than those of said first and second outermost strap guiding holes.

According to still another preferred embodiment of this invention, said plurality of strap guiding holes include additional strap guiding holes arranged between said first and second outermost strap guiding holes in the form of intermediate strap guiding holes so that openings defined by these intermediate strap guiding holes are dimensioned to be progressively reduced from the strap guiding holes lying inwardly adjacent said first and second outermost strap guiding holes toward the innermost strap guiding holes, respectively.

According to further another -preferred embodiment of this invention, said first and second side edges are inwardly curved so as to form concaves facing each other.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of swimming goggles according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a buckle adopted by the swimming goggles shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line A—A in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of swimming goggles S which incorporate the use of a buckle according to this invention. The swimming goggles S comprise a pair of lens assemblies 2 interconnected by a bridge 3 , an elastic strap 4 extending through a pair of through-holes formed in outer ends of the respective lens assemblies 2 so that the elastic strap 4 defines upper and lower sections thereof, a pair of clamping blocks 5 each adapted to converge the upper and lower sections together and a buckle used to secure longitudinally opposite ends of the strap 4 . The ends of the strap 4 are illustrated as being secured in engagement with the buckle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the buckle used in FIG. 1 . The buckle is in the form of a frame 1 . The frame 1 includes transversely opposite side edges 10 a , 10 b extending longitudinally of the frame 1 (i.e., longitudinally of the straps 4 ) with their intermediate portions curved so as to define concaves facing inwardly of the frame 1 , longitudinally opposite ends 11 a , 11 b extending transversely of the frame 1 (i.e., orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the strap 4 ), partitions 12 a , 12 b , 12 c arranged between the ends 11 a , 11 b which connect the side edges 10 a , 10 b to each other. The frame 1 further includes holes 13 a , 13 b , 13 c defined by the side edges 10 a , 10 b , the ends 11 a , 11 b and the partitions 12 a , 12 b , 12 c.

More specifically, the partition 12 c connects the side edges 10 a , 10 b at their middle points and two partitions 12 b , 12 a are laterally spaced from the partition 12 c in opposite directions. Laterally from both sides of the partition 12 c , three holes 13 c , 13 b , 13 a are arranged in this order, respectively.

The hole 13 b lies inwardly adjacent the outermost hole 13 a on each side of the middle partition 12 c and defines an opening dimensioned both in length and breadth that is smaller than an opening defined by the hole 13 a . The hole 13 c inwardly adjacent the hole 13 b and an opening dimensioned in length that is smaller than the opening defined by the hole 13 b . The hole 13 a allows two sections of strap 4 to pass therethrough while the holes 13 b , 13 c allow only the single section of strap 4 to pass therethrough, respectively.

Friction resistance generated between the inner peripheral surfaces of the pair of innermost holes 13 c and the peripheral surface of the strap 4 is higher than friction resistance generated between the inner peripheral surfaces of the respective pairs of holes 13 a , 13 b and the peripheral surface of the strap 4 . Therefore, the strap 4 is reliably retained by the holes 13 c against slipping off from the buckle even if the strap 4 is pulled in opposite directions longitudinally thereof so that the strap 4 might slip off through the outermost holes 13 a as well as through the holes 13 b lying inwardly adjacent the respective holes 13 a and the longitudinally opposite ends of the strap 4 might go away from each other.

The side edges 10 a , 10 b are formed with slots 14 , respectively, so that each of the slots 14 communicates with the associated holes 13 a . An alternative arrangement is possible without departing the scope of this invention in which only one of the side edges 10 a , 10 b is formed with the slot 14 .

The width of an opening defined by the slot 14 as measured in the longitudinal direction of the side edges 10 a , 10 b is progressively reduced from the exterior toward the interior of the slot 14 . Such unique dimensioning facilitates guiding the strap 4 through the slot 14 into the hole 13 a.

The minimum width of the opening defined by the slot 14 is preferably smaller than the width of the strap 4 and more preferably smaller than the thickness of the strap 4 . Dimensioning the minimum width of the opening defined by the slot 14 to be smaller than the width as well as the thickness of the strap 4 makes it possible to prevent the strap 4 from slipping off from the slot 14 even if the strap 4 once guided into the hole 13 a is turned in any direction.

Each of the slots 14 is formed on the inner surface of the associated hole 13 a extending in parallel to the side edges 10 a , 10 b substantially at the middle thereof. Accordingly, there is no apprehension that the strap 4 might fall off from the slot 14 unless the strap 4 is pulled in the direction substantially orthogonal to the side edges 10 a , 10 b . The slot 14 formed at the position as has been described above can more reliably retain the strap 4 against unintentionally slipping off from the slot 14 than the slot 14 were formed at a corner of the hole 13 a corresponding to the intersecting point of the side edge 10 a or 10 b and the end 11 a or 11 b , respectively.

With the unique arrangement such that one of two slots 14 is formed in one side edge 10 a of said transversely opposite side edge 10 a , 10 b and the other of two slots 14 is formed in the other side edge 10 b , it is possible to eliminate an apprehension that the longitudinally opposite ends of the strap 4 might slip off from the respective slots 14 at once even if these ends of the strap 4 are pulled upward or downward as viewed in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line A—A in FIG. 2, in which imaginary lines indicate the strap 4 having been guided through the buckle. The strap 4 is retained by the frame 1 in a sequence as follows: first, the one end 21 of the strap 4 is guided from a front side 15 a of the frame 1 through the outermost hole 13 a , then from a rear side 15 b of the frame 1 through the intermediate hole 13 b . Again from the front side 15 a of the frame 1 , the end 21 is guided through the hole 13 c formed adjacent the middle of the frame 1 , then folded back toward the outermost hole 13 a and guided via the slot 14 into the outermost hole 13 a . In this manner, two sections of the strap 4 arm placed one upon another within the hole 13 a and a frictional resistance generated between these two sections prevents them from being slackened. The sequence as has been described with respect to the end 21 of the strap 4 is true for the other end 22 of the strap 4 .

As illustrated, the partitions 12 a , 12 b have a height h smaller than a thickness t of the frame 1 and therefore the strap 4 retained on the partitions 12 a , 12 b do not significantly project from the frame 1 .

The frame 1 is formed from an elastically deformable plastic material. With the ends 11 a , 11 b of the frame 1 held with the goggles wearer's fingers, respectively, the ends 11 a , 11 b may be pulled in opposite directions so as to move away from each other, therefore, to forcibly widen the opening of the slots 14 and thereby to easily disengage the strap 4 from the respective slots 14 .

The buckle according to this invention can reliably retain the strap against slipping off through the slots from the holes communicating the slots, respectively, even if the strap is pulled in opposite directions. This is because the slots are oriented orthogonally to the direction in which the strap is pulled in the course of wearing the goggles.

The side edges of the frame are curved along their intermediate portions so as to form the concaves facing inwardly of the frame. Such configuration of the side edges better facilitates holding the frame with the fingers placed on the side edges, than in the case of the frame having the rectilinear side edges. Then, with the side edges held with the fingers of one hand, operation of adjusting a length of the strap as well as operation of disengaging the strap from the slots may be carried out with the fingers of the other hand.